Chad

Chad is a landlocked country in Central Africa, bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, Central African Republic to the south, Niger to the west, and Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest. Sometimes referred to as the “Dead Heart of Africa” because of its long distance from the sea and its hot desert climate, the country is divided into three geographical regions of the desert zone in the north, an excessively dry Sahelian belt in the center, and a fertile Sudanese zone with a savanna in the south. As the 21st largest country in the world, it contains a land area of 1.28 million square kilometers (496,000 sq. mi.), which is slightly larger that South Africa but slightly smaller than Peru.

The country is known for its Lake Chad, the 2nd largest lake in Africa and the most important body of water in the Sahelian zone. Its highest peak is the Emi Koussi in the Sahara, which is 3,415 meters, and its lowest point is the Djourab Depression at 160 meters below the earth surface. The hot and dry harmattan or dust-laden winds in the north, recurrent droughts, and the plagues by locusts are the natural hazards perennially confronting the country. These are compounded by the problems of desertification, inadequate supply of potable water, and soil and water pollution.

Muslims as an ethnic group composed of Arabs, Tombou, Fulbe, Kotoko, Kanembu, Baguirmi, Maba, and Zaghawa are commonly referred to as “northerners,” while those referred to “southerners” are the non-Muslims who compose the Sara, Ngambaye, Goulaye, Mbaye, Moussei, Moundang, and Massa groups, including the non-indigenous Chadians and more than 1,000 French in the south.

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